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Layer 2 - Girls
Girls Voice: What are you scared of? Just try it for a little bit. Cyberia? I don’t come here because I want to. A man is sitting alone at a club when a blonde woman in a red dress and a gas mask walks up to him and puts a folded napkin on the table. He hands the woman a crumpled bill and she walks away. “10,000 yen?! What a rip-off! The going price is only around 4,000!” ”We call it Accela. It’s not exactly a drug, but you have to jump through the same kind of hoops to get it.” The man unfolds the napkin, revealing a tiny machine encased in gel. He cuts away the gel and swallows the capsule, washing it down with his beer. ”Hurry up, come to me.” Lain is in her room sitting at her computer Lain: No that’s not it. I don’t have any mail... I don’t get it… Mika appears in the doorway Mika: Oh. I thought somebody was in here. Lain: Who? Mika: Your imaginary friend. Or something like that. Mika closes the door Mika: You’re gonna be late again. Lain hurried downstairs and left for school. As she’s walking down the street when she sees a man in a suit standing in the shadow of a telephone pole. Lain pretends not to notice him, but she chances a glance at his face and they make eye contact. Lain takes off running. Arisu, Reika, and Juri catch up to Lain across the street from the school. Arisu: Good morning Lain: G-Good morning Reika: See what I mean? It couldn’t have been her. Juri: You think so? but… Lain: What? Arisu: Cut it out. I feel sorry for her. It’s nothing. Come on, let’s go. Juri: But… Arisu: Oh let it go. Lain: Have you gotten any more mail? Juri: Mail? Lain: From Chisa. Juri: Oh, that. No, I haven’t gotten any more. Arisu: You got that prank mail, too, Lain? Juri: What? Reika: Really? Lain: I was just curious… Juri: Huh? Arisu: You know, maybe she does look a little like her… Reika: Lain, what were you doing last night? Lain: Huh? Reika: Yeah, Yeah! Arisu: Come on, I’m telling you it wasn’t her! Reika: Yeah, I guess not. She doesn’t look like her at all. Lain: What? Reika: There was this girl at Cyberia last night who looked just like you, Lain. Lain: Cyberia? Juri: We finally worked up the nerve to go there last night. Reika: Come on, it wasn’t such a big deal. Arisu: Oh, right, you were the one who was all nervous! Arisu turns to Lain Arisu: Oh. It’s a club. Young people go there at night. There was a girl who looked a little like you, Lain. Lain: last night… I… Arisu: We know. it wasn’t you. We didn’t get a good look at her but she had on these wild clothes, and chewed people out left and right! Reika: Yeah, it was like she was your total opposite! Juri: But she did look like her... Hey, I know! let’s take her with us next time! Reika: You want to make sure, huh? Juri: Cut it out! you’re just making fun of her! Reika: I bet when a girl like Lain goes to a club, her personality does a 180! Arisu: Oh. Maybe Lain would liven up a bit. Juri: Right! lets go Lain! Reika: It might be fun. Arisu: You’d have more fun if you were a little more sociable, Lain. Accela, a type of smart supplement, uses nano-mechanisms to oscillate at a specific frequency within the body, triggering the secretion of a specific hormone. It is said that when secreted, this hormone affects the time-sense of the human mind, making it seem as if one’s awareness is accelerated not only the consciousness, but the workings of the brain itself are altered. Multiplying the brain’s operational capacity by 2 to 12 times. The nano-mechanism itself is destroyed by digestive juices within 24 hours, but it is unknown how long the effects last. Lain is in class. Text from Arisu: Let’s have fun at Cyberia tonight Lain’s text to Arisu: I’ll pass on tonight Everyone is connected. Lain is in the school, it’s not clear if she’s the only one there or if she’s just in an unused hallway. She sees a girls figure in the doorway of one of the rooms. The girl is wearing a school uniform and has short, shaggy hair. The girl starts walking towards Lain, and as she does, several tall thin shadow creatures emerge from the walls and walk towards, and past Lain. When the girl reaches lain, she sees her face, which is flashing between smiling and screaming in terror. The girl walks right through Lain and disappears, along with the shadow people. Lain stands, frozen, and cries. Lain is walking up to her house when she is approached by a young man with a delivery truck. Delivery Guy: Is this your house? Lain nods. Delivery Guy: Great! I have a delivery for you. I’ll start unloading it. could you get the gate for me? Lain opens the gate and the man can carries the several heavy packages up the steps, and into the entryway. Delivery Guy: Sign this please. The delivery guy hands Lain a receipt. Delivery Guy: This thing is so cool. Lain: Huh? Delivery Guy: I wish I had one of these Lain signs the receipt and hands it back. Delivery Guy: Thanks. All this is yours? The delivery man gestures towards the packages. Lain: I’m not sure. Delivery Guy: Then you don’t know what this is? Lain nods her head. Delivery Guy: It’s a top of the line Navi! Fully loaded, too! With this kind of horsepower, you can move around freely without any stress at all, even in the Wired. I use a home-brew system myself. It doesn’t hold a candle to this. Lain: No, It’s not like that. I don’t know anything about it, either. Delivery Guy: You will soon enough. have a good one! The d''elivery guy walks out the door. Lain sits in her room in her bear costume. She heads downstairs when she hears her parents get home. Her parents are kissing in the entryway; they break apart when Lain walks down.'' Yasuo: Your Navi came right? Miho starts walking down the hall. Miho: Get that mess cleaned up soon, all right? It’s in the way. Yasuo: I’ll set it up for you after dinner. This Navis good enough that I’d want to take her out on a spin. Lain: Dad… I want you to set it up right now. Yasuo: Hey, why are you in such a hurry? Lain… I’ll do it. In Lain’s and her Dad are in her room, which is mottly empty and very clean. Yasuo: You can’t keep using they childrens Navi forever, for communication you need a more powerful system that will mature alongside your relationships with people. Understand, Lain? Yasuo turns on the computer. Yasuo: Come here. Register yourself as the user. Her Dad stands up. Yasuo: Try talking to it. Lain: Hello, Navi Yasuo: Now this Navi’s yours, Lain.You can show off to your friends now. Yasuo starts to walk out of her room and sees Mika standing in the doorway. Yasuo: hey, Mika is something wrong? Maika walks away silently. Lain: Navi, do i have mail? Navi: Lain has no mail. Text from Arisu: Where are you? everyone's waiting ? Why wont you come? Text from Arisu: We’re in the basement! meet us there! Arisu: What took you so long? Reika: You’re usually in bed by now, aren’t you, Lain? Juri: Lain, don’t you have something better to wear out at night? Arisu: We’ll pick out something a little more grown-up for you next time, Lain. Reika: You think she’d look good in grown-up clothes? Arisu: Reika! Juri: Hey… Arisu: What? Juri: I guess the girl we saw really wasn’t Lain. Reika: That’s what I’ve been telling you! Lain doesn’t dress like that or talk like that. She doesn’t look like that, either. Lain: Did she really look like me? Juri: Yeah! i was positive it was you! Lain: Oh. There is a gunshot, and the clubs main light is shattered. People start running frantically. What the?! Bystander: He’s got a gun! Bystander: Help me! Juri falls while trying to run. Lain hasn’t moved since the gunshot. She is standing on the side dance floor, with the lights still flashing, staring at the shooter. Reika and Arisu: Juri! Arisu: Lain! Reika: What’s she doing? Arisu: You take care of Juri! Arisu runs over to get Lain to safety, but Lain won’t move from where she’s standing. Reika: Arisu! The shooter looks up at Lain and stumbles back. Shooter: what’re you looking at? Arisu: Lain, what’re you doing? lets get out of here! hurry! Lain! Shooter: Go away! Why are you making me do this?! What right do you have?! I just wanted to clear my head, that’s all! I don’t know anything about it! just leave me out of it! You're that scattered God’s-- I don’t want anything to do with it! nothing! The Wired can’t be allowed to interfere with the real world! I don’t want anything to do with it! Who the hell are you?! Lain calmly walks closer to the shooter, and he points his gun at her. A little red dot shakes around her eyes. Arisu: L-Lain… Shooter: Don’t want… I don’t want… Don’t want anything to do with it. Don't want… Don't want anything to do with it... Lain: No matter where you go, everyone’s connected. The man stares in horror, starts crying and shoots himself in the head; splattering blood all over Lain.